Listed tech firms Blancco Technology Group and WANdisco have announced that their Tech for Good partnership which aims to deliver devices to schools in need across the North of England has sourced 14,000 devices.
The ‘Laptops for Kids’ campaign includes donations of free drive eraser licenses from Finland-headquartered Blancco, which has securely erased 14,000 donated used digital devices.
The Laptops for Kids scheme was launched by Sheffield-headquartered WANdisco, alongside partners including Blancco, in September 2020.
The project aims to address the digital divide, an issue that has been heightened by national lockdowns and subsequent school closures.
As part of the collaboration, Blancco and WANdisco have facilitated training on how to use the erasure software to sanitise the donated devices.
This practice has been carried over to the WANdisco Data Academy at Sheffield College, where students have been taught how to carry out the erasure process themselves.
Initial work for the project was launched with Learn Sheffield, following a survey conducted by Sheffield City Council, that highlighted the need for devices amongst schools and colleges in the city.
The Laptops for Kids campaign, which has supplied 4,300 devices to 180 schools across Sheffield, has been rolled out across other northern towns and cities including Barnsley, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Lancaster, Newcastle and Warrington.
“Donations from local communities and businesses have been instrumental in supporting this campaign, and our erasure software ensures all data is irreversibly removed from refurbished devices,” said said Adam Moloney, Chief Financial Officer, Blancco.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Blancco and all that have been involved in this fantastic campaign. We’ve seen the donations make a real impact to children’s lives in keeping them connected with their studies,” commented David Richards, Chairman, CEO & Founder, WANdisco and the David and Jane Richards Family Foundation.
“But our ambition for this project doesn’t stop here. We’re still a long way from closing the digital divide and targets will move as children move through education.”
